The History of Barnet FC
is a long and interesting tale of a club that has seen
some highs and more than its fair share of lows in its
100 plus years existence. So long, in fact, that this
history will be spread out over several pages. This is
the third section, charting the story from 1918 to 1975.

We would be grateful to
anyone who can add to anything written here. Apart from
pointing out any inaccuracies, we would be pleased to
receive contributions so that this history can be
"fleshed out" even more. For that reason, the
details on this page are likely to be changed as more
information is unearthed.

After the War they
became Barnet FC. They won the Herts Charity Cup and
Middlesex Charity Cup at various times in the Twenties
and in 1926 reached the First Round of the FA Cup, losing
at Brentford 3-1.

In 1926 the Barnet
Football Club Supporters' Association (BFCSA) was formed.

Thirties to
Fifties

The Thirties saw Barnet
in tremendous form. After coming second in the Athenian
league in 1930, they took the championship for the next
two seasons. They also won the Herts Charity Cup nearly
every year and were runners-up in the League again in
1938.

The Forties saw success
in the Herts Senior Cup, London Senior Cup and Herts
Charity Cup. Their biggest triumph was in 1946, in front
of 53,000 people at Stamford Bridge, beating Bishop
Auckland 3-2 to lift the FA Amateur Cup. The Barnet
captain was called Lester Finch. He represented Great
Britain in the Munich Olympics of 1936 and played in a
wartime international.

Finch played for Barnet
from 1928 to 1953, making 476 appearances and scoring 226
goals. The Supporters' Association has an annual award
named after him, which is presented to someone who has
contributed to the club in some way. (In 2000-01, this
was awarded to the Groundsman, for the excellent
condition of the pitch throughout the season.)

1947/48 again saw them
win the Athenian League, also losing out to Leytonstone
1-0 in the Amateur Cup Final, again at Stamford Bridge.

The Fifties sees more
Cup success in the previously mentioned local cups, and
in 1959 they almost achieved the double by winning the
Athenian League and narrowly losing the Amateur Cup Final
at Wembley 3-2 to Crook Town.

Professional
Status

The Sixties arrived and
Barnet continued to be one of the best Amateur sides in
the Country. Finishing second in the Athenian League in
1960, 62 and 63, they finally won the championship of the
new Athenian League Premier Division in 1964 and 1965.

It was then decided to
turn semi-professional, joining the Southern League
Division One in 1965-66. In their first match they
hammered Hinckley 10-1. The manager at this point was
Dexter Adams, and they went on to win the league.

The local cups were also
lifted during the early sixties.

The Seventies weren't so
successful, but 1972 saw a return visit to Wembley, this
time in the FA Trophy final, with 25,000 turning up to
see Barnet lose 3-0 to Stafford Rangers.

A good run in the FA Cup
also saw The Bees draw 0-0 at Queens Park Rangers in the
Third Round, losing the replay in front of over 10,000
fans back at Underhill.